NEED TO KNOW
Jacie Conley knows Taylor Swift, from managing social media pages dedicated to the pop star and her music to meeting Swift herself.
The singer and her discography have played a pivotal role in Conley’s life, providing the perfect soundtrack during all her highs and lows and giving her a sense of community.
But little did the 26-year-old know, it would also be the invisible string tying her to her now-boyfriend, whom she met at Swift’s house, no less.
Conley tells PEOPLE she has been a Swiftie for years, and that during the summer of 2018, she attended 11 stops on the Reputation Stadium Tour.
“I started at opening night in Arizona and ended at closing night in Arlington, Texas, with my dad,” she shares. “My mom came with me to the Louisville, Miami, and Nashville shows, and for New Orleans, Tampa, and Atlanta, she drove me to each stadium and waited in the parking lot until the concerts were over. I also flew to Chicago with my best friend Lindsey (who also joined me in Atlanta) and a family friend.”
Jacie Conley
Around that time, Swift was active on Tumblr and frequently liked fans’ posts, including some of Conely’s. It wasn’t until one of Conley’s friends, Danielle, made a post highlighting how many of her posts the singer had interacted with that Swift hit the follow button.
“Taylor saw it and followed me. She kept liking my posts after that, and in July 2019, I received a confidential message from her team inviting me to a Secret Session,” Conley says.
Swift, 36, famously held Secret Sessions before the release of her fifth studio album, 1989, Reputation, and Lover. At the exclusive, intimate events, a select group of fans would get to talk to Swift, take photos and listen to the new albums before they came out.
A week after getting her invite, Conley says she and her parents drove down to Swift’s home in Nashville.
“I wanted them there because without them, their support, the trips they took with me, the time off work, I wouldn’t have had those experiences or the chance to be invited,” she tells PEOPLE.
According to Conley, the event was “everything I imagined and more.” Swift arranged transportation for all 113 fans, and as they mingled and ate in the living room, the singer walked in and greeted everyone. It was then that guests were informed they had been hand-picked by the pop star.
Jacie Conley
“She played the Lover album for us and explained every song. Hearing her new music before the world did felt like a secret society moment, and knowing my future boyfriend was in that same room listening too is surreal to think about now,” Conley shares.
Not only did Conley get memories to last a lifetime, but she also met her now-boyfriend, Peter, at the event.
The two had followed each other online for years, but had never talked offline or met in person.
“The first thing I said to him was, ‘I KNOW YOU!’ while pointing at him like a fool,” she recalls. “He laughed and said, ‘I knew you would be here!’ ”
She and Peter chatted for around 15 to 20 minutes, and when Conley went home, she told her mom about a “cute boy” she had met that night. Her mom encouraged her to reach out, and they’ve “talked every single day since.”
Although the two grew close right after the 2019 Secret Session, they didn’t start officially dating until two years later.
“Our relationship has always felt like something that was meant to happen — we met in the most impossible, magical way,” Conley says. “Taylor jokingly called her Secret Sessions ‘secret societies,’ and it really feels like ours started in that living room.”
The one song that truly embodies their relationship, according to Conley, is “Invisible String” from Folklore, which came out one year before they made things official.
“We went to Taylor’s show in Miami in October 2024 wearing ‘Invisible String’–themed outfits. We were devastated when we realized she had taken it off the setlist. We always joke that she owes us a performance of it at our wedding to make up for it,” Conley says.
Conley recently shared a TikTok reflecting on their movie-worthy meet-cute, which went viral. She tells PEOPLE that she looks back on that August 2019 night in Nashville with admiration, having met two of the most impactful people in her life.
“Taylor took her time with every single person. When it was my turn to meet her, I had at least five minutes one-on-one. As soon as she saw me, she literally yelled my name — ‘JACIE!! I’m so glad you’re here!'” she recalls. “I hugged her and thanked her for inviting me, and told her I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
Curious, Conley asked Swift what made her stand out among the millions of Swifties to score an invite.
“She told me that the night she followed me on Tumblr, she went down a rabbit hole on my page, saw how many Reputation Tour shows I attended, and even screenshotted my account to send to her management because she wanted to meet me,” Conley shares.
“She asked, ‘How many shows did you go to again? Eight or nine?’ and I said, ‘No — 11!'” she recalls. “I felt terrible correcting Taylor Swift, but we both laughed, and she said, ‘That is such dedication, dude!’ and held up her hand for a high-five.”
Jacie Conley
Conley told Swift that her parents “were fans too,” noting that her mom “even waited in stadium parking lots during some of the concerts so I could go.”
The mother-daughter duo had a tradition of going to Swift’s shows together, starting with The Red Tour in 2013. While Conley’s mom wasn’t able to make it to the Era’s Tour, they watched the concert film together when it came out in October 2023.
Unfortunately, Conley’s mom died in 2024, and “losing her has been incredibly hard,” she tells PEOPLE.
“Last year, watching the Eras Tour live streams every night really helped me through grieving. Taylor and her music have been there for me in every phase of my life,” Conley shares.
“My life genuinely wouldn’t be what it is without her — I mean, she even brought me my boyfriend,” she adds. “In the words of Taylor Swift herself, ‘My advice is always ruin the friendship, better that than regret it for all time.’ “
